Today the Russians started a bombing campaign. This happened a day after US president-elect Donald #Trump had spoken with Russia’s Vladimir #Putin. Long range missiles were fired from ships to signal a new phase in the Syrian Conflict.

The Russians supported al-Assad and his allies in their latest important battles in Western Aleppo. They absorbed a very large attack then pushed the attacker back. They also gained some minor territories in this sequence. Eastern Aleppo is getting heavily bombed from the air today. In it the anti Assad groups vowed to fight till the end refusing to get out with their weapons.

North of Aleppo, al-Bab is the next battle between the Islamic State and its adversaries. To al-Bab there is a race between the group that is being led by Turkey against the group let mostly by the Kurds, and which included some non-Kurds militias and gets the support of the Americans. The Americans have now to major bases, that are known, in north and north east of Syria in areas under control of the Kurdish militias.

Near Aleppo, anti Assad groups clashed amongst each others in many different occasions. First there was a big clash between Ahrar al-Sham versus Jund al-Aqsa, and now there was one up till yesterday between Ahrar al-Sham versus Jaysh al-Mujahidin.

The Islamic State were all talk. They did not show up to the battle of Dabiq.

To the east, al-Raqa is being crept upon by few anti Islamic State groups. East of that, the Islamic State still have a good hold on most of Deir al-Zur and al-Bukamal. The Islamic State is also still active in the desert area East of Homs.

al-Nusra had changed its name few months ago to Fath al-Sham. Its ways are still the same.

In the last month the most active foreign Jihadi groups are al-Huzb al-Islami al-Turkistani . This group provided many suicide bombers and assault troops, known as Inghimasyin. Jund al-Aqsa, and Jabhat Ansar al-Dain/Harakat Sham al-Islam are also active in the battles around.

On al-Assad’s side the biggest foreign groups fighting with him other than Hizbollah and the Russians are al-Nujaba’ from Iraq and Fatimiyun.

Near Damascus, battles are strong near Khan al-Shaykh. al-Assad settled with his opponents in some areas where the armed groups left with their families to anti Assad held areas, like Idlib.

The areas between Hama and Idlib cooled off last month because of the big assault on Aleppo. al-Assad made some gains, where his troops benefited from the clash that took place between Ahrar al-Sham and Jund al-Aqsa.